Regulator valve



April 7, 1959 J. M. WlLKlNS REGULATOR'I'VALVE Original Filed Sept. 9, 1952 IIII'I'IIIII INVENTOR.

J-wssM Mum/s BY W A TTOHA/E r5 a .v G LATOR Y LYE James M. Wilkins, Los Angeles, Calif assignoi' to Arth rla!.Losu a esrc r ,l Original application Septembert:a9,*w- 19 52,' Serial No,

308,549, now Patent; No.,- 2,731,915; dated 'March. 13,

1956. Divided and this application July 5, 1955, Serial 5 'Claims. Cl. 137-549) I This is a division of mype'nding application Serial No. 308,549, filed bymei September 9 1952 and now Patent No. 2,737,975i8sued March.13; 1956. .l t v j .My present invention has fohitsxobject to providel ari automatic pressure reducing and regulatingtvalve and strainer in which said parts are combined in a unitary housing, the strainer beingixmounted in anovel' manner; in a straightline with the flovv with the fluid or gases, to reduce the friction created by :fluids and gases passing through it. The foreign substance trapped by the screen; may be removed by simply disconnecting' the union coupling nut at the inlet end of th'e regulator,- thuselimihating the need for an extra tapping for the usual clean'outca'p, and the supplying of such cleanout' cap for removal of foreg'n" substance and' the'scr'een. l ,l e

A still further object of the invention; is to provide an automatic regulatingvalve and cylindrical strainer positioned in line to the inlet and adjacent to-the'val've regu lating mechanism whereby the overallv'vidth of the casing as defined by the inlet and outlet ports is reduced to a minimum in the combined housing. Thisunion' end. also eliminates the pipe union when installing the regulator -in the pipe line. the screen and' foreign substances tobe removed' from the housing without disturbing anyotherv member.

1 To these and other ends, my invention com'prehehds further improvements and simplification in construction, all as will be fully described in theaccompa'nying' specification, the novel features thefof being" set forth m me appended claims.

Figure 1 1s a central vertical'sectional' view of a regulator valve embodyingmyfiriventionfand v.

Figure 2 is ane'xploded view of a unique strainer unit incorporated in s'aid yflv. l 4

Referring to the drawings by numbers, like numbers indicate like parts in the two yievvs; 10 indicates the body portion of the regulatonihaving the straight openen'd'ed chamber,'froniwhicl1'" lateral branches forrnihg the inlet 11 and the outlet'1Z' eXte' '1id, one of vvhic hb'ranche s, the inlet, as hereSh'ownQ'being' provided with anip'pl'e '13 projecting iii the chamber of the body portion 10. The construction also provides'uhi'on assembly nut 42 and tail piece 43. The tailpiece 43 is' internally threaded at 43 to receive an inlet pipe P. The" cylindrical scr een used for the strainer is recessed in the inlet 11 and is put in'dn'a s'tiaighfl irietd reduce ffi'ctikirf The left end of the cy1'inariea1isrem40 i'sivdispo's'ed within an annular groove fll formed in a yertical partition wall ne q 0-. The en peel lu at e flange 46 which extends into the outletborefi'l of the The union serves as a cleanout' cap for t1 NJ; .4. w.- other combined regulator and'strainer' assemblies; The

2,880,753 ewesm nure? 1551i; 13'isproyided yi ith 'a"removable cylindii "at;

seat member 14, preferably of the farm sliowdzl s upon the removable valve seat 14 .is the valve head" preferably recessed on its' lower face t'o re'ce'ive" a' s1; valve disc 17 which may be fastened in plat suitable manneg a s by the centrally di s'pds'ed th1 eid' bd'r'e' 2'2 far the purpose 'of repair of fp and it will be seen that the needs of the valve s de at be cafd' for s i'rnply by removing-the cap afi'dfivitli} o'n'f the'nece ss'ity of distuibing' any of the rest (if the zipparatus. V g I The base plate 20 ofth'' et 19 seats" upon the upper s'aifaee of a; diaphragm 2'5 geeur'ed a the lower and of the body above a'sp'ringi housing 28. The base plate 20' preferably has a'thre aded stud 29, which passes through the iaphragm ah'd thiou'gh an abutment plate 30} a's'uir- 55161111331 being pfov'ided' to engage the threaded stud 29, an phmp the abutment pure against the dia Hr i-h and'hold" it' snugl t6 the base plate 20, as Shawn 1" F ure 1. The housing 28 will be? e'lon'ga't'edforpui'p es of receiving the spring 32 which, at its upper end bears against the smallest plate" 31), and at its' lower end e'rigages an abutment disc 33," supported by 515' adju 4 straw 3'4 threaded in the beach; or the liousin'g' 28, 1 1a havifiga lock" nut 35 It will be seen that if th'e'diap hr side needs riapair of replacement, it ma be ace plish e'd by simply unscrewing the housing 28; an that the valve side or; the pipe line in' which the regulator is installed need not be disturbed for any ,re lairs'tnap are nee ed' on the diaphra'gin side The above-dje's cfibed structlofi lends itself very readily to assemblin valve" sathaving' been mounted in' the nipple ygl'rle diaphragm Will be ass'eimbl'e'd and placed the 10 in proper relati'o'ri' to the' nip 1e, and thes'p ri'ng h'o'us:

hahdld',' tlie opening an; i ging gar the valv arsewill be automatic and quickly responsive to ch a transverse partition wall formed in said body between said openings that is substantially normally disposed relative to the axes of said openings dividing the interior of said body into an upstream chamber communicating with said inlet and a downstream chamber communicating with said outlet, said partition wall on its upstream side having an annular groove coaxially aligned with said inlet; conduit means formed in said housing communieating said chambers through a passage offset from said partition wall; a tailpiece coaxially seated in said inlet opening and having means that cooperate with said inlet opening to define an annular seat coaxial to said inlet opening and to said annular groove of said partition wall, the end of said tailpiece remote from said inlet opening being formed with means for receiving an inlet pipe; external thread means formed on said body adjacent said inlet opening and coaxial therewith; an assembly nut coaxially encompassing said tailpiece and threadable onto said thread means for removably atfixing said tailpiece to said body; and a cylindrical strainer removably disposed between said inlet opening and said partition wall with its opposite ends positioned within said annular seat and within said annular groove.

2. In a valve, the improvements comprising: a body formed with coaxially aligned inlet and outlet openings; a transverse partition wall formed in said body disposed normally to the axis of said openings and dividing the interior of said body into an upstream chamber of greater diameter than said inlet opening and communicating with said inlet, and a downstream chamber communicating with said outlet, said partition wall on its upstream side being formed with an annular groove coaxially aligned with said inlet opening; conduit means formed in said housing communicating said chambers through a passage ofiset from said wall and from said chambers; a tailpiece coaxially disposed adjacent said inlet opening and having an annular retainer flange which slidably extends into said opening for a distance less than the thickness of the body wall adjacent said opening so as to cooperate with said opening in defining an annular seat coaxial to said opening and to said annular groove; thread means formed on said body adjacent said inlet opening and coaxial therewith; a union assembly nut coaxially encompassing said tailpiece and threadable onto said thread means for removably afiixing said tailpiece to said body; and a cylindrical strainer slidably insertable through said inlet to be disposed between said annular seat and said annular groove to define an annular space with said inlet chamber communicating with said conduit means.

3. In a valve assembly having inlet and outlet openings formed in opposite ends of a valve body, a strainer assembly and mounting means comprising in combination: an integral partition wall formed in said body and dividing said body into an upstream chamber communieating with said inlet and a downstream chamber communicating with said outlet, said wall on a side thereof confronting said inlet opening having an annular shoulder formed therein coaxially disposed with said inlet opening to provide a seat for one end of a cylindrical strainer; internal conduit means formed in said body ofiset from said wall and from said chambers by-passing said wall and providing communication between said chambers; a tail-piece adapted to have a predetermined length of one end seated in the exterior end portion of said inlet opening whereby the remainder of said inlet opening and the face of said one end of said tailpiece define an annular shoulder to provide a seat for an opposite end of a cylindrical strainer; a cylindrical strainer having a diameter complementary to that of said seats and an axial length equivalent to the spacing between said seats that is insertable through said inlet opening into supported position on said annular shoulder of said wall and on said inlet opening, said strainer having a diameter less than that of said inlet chamber to define with said inlet chamber an annular flow-passage communicating with said conduit means; and means for removably alfixing said tail-piece in seated position in said inlet opening to prevent axial displacement of said strainer.

4. A strainer assembly construction for a valve body comprising in combination: an integral partition wall formed in said valve body spaced apart from and confronting an inlet opening of said body and formed on the side thereof facing said inlet with an annular groove concentric with said inlet and adapted to receive therein one end of a cylindrical strainer; a cylindrical strainer having a diameter adapted for slidable insertion through said inlet opening to be seated at its inner end in said groove of said partition wall with its outer end seated in said inlet opening, said strainer being supported only at said seated ends thereof; a tail-piece formed with an annular axially extending flange adapted to be slidably received in said inlet opening an axial distance less than the axial length of said opening in shoulder-defining relationship with said opening to hold said strainer against displacement between said partition wall and said tailpiece; and a union assembly nut threadably engageable with said valve body and adapted to engage an external shoulder formed in said tailpiece to releasably hold said strainer and tail-piece in assembled relationship in said body.

5. A valve assembly construction for mounting a valve including a strainer assembly in a straight-run of pipe comprising in combination: a valve body formed with coaxial opposite inlet and outlet openings and an internal integral partition dividing the interior of said body into an outlet chamber and an inlet chamber and being formed with an internal conduit ofiset from said wall and from said chambers that is adapted to provide communication between said chambers, said partition being positioned normal to the common axis of said openings and being formed on the side thereof confronting said inlet with an annular shoulder of the same size as said inlet, and said inlet chamber having a diameter greater than the diameter of said shoulder and said inlet; a strainer comprising a cylindrical wall of a mesh material having a diameter complementary to that of said inlet and of said shoulder to be slidably insertable into said inlet chamber through said inlet opening to be positioned at its inner end in said shoulder, said strainer when abutting said partition having its outer end seated in said inlet opening, said strainer wall and the wall of said inlet chamber defining an annular passage communicating with said internal conduit; a tail-piece formed at one end with an annular axially extending flange adapted to be slidably received in said inlet opening an axial distance less than the axial length of said opening in shoulderdefining relationship with said opening whereby said strainer is held against displacement between said partition and said tail-piece; and a union assembly nut threadably eugageable with said valve body and adapted to engage an external shoulder of said tail-piece to releasably hold said strainer and said tail-piece in assembled relationship in said straight-run of pipe with said inlet, outlet, and strainer being in coaxial relationship.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 595,540 Heithecker Dec. 14, 1897 986,678 Bordo Mar. 14, 1911 1,159,431 Swanstrom Nov. 9, 1915 1,833,944 Hull Dec. 1, 1931 1,847,068 Campbell Mar. 1, 1932 2,152,781 Wile Apr. 4, 1939 2,519,805 Wilkins Aug. 22, 1950 2,639,194 Wahlin May 19, 1953 2,737,975 Wilkins Mar. 13, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 609,101 France May 3, 1926 

